A forthnight of drama is what awaits Delhiites this month. The 18th Bharat Rang Mahotsav, organised by National School of Drama, is underway and with theatre groups from over 10 counties, including the United States, Australia, Italy, Sri Lanka, Poland, Bangladesh, Spain, China, Pakistan and Aust

A forthnight of drama is what awaits Delhiites this month. The 18th Bharat Rang Mahotsav, organised by National School of Drama, is underway and with theatre groups from over 10 counties, including the United States, Australia, Italy, Sri Lanka, Poland, Bangladesh, Spain, China, Pakistan and Austria, the experience is much bigger and better.

The biggest theatre groups from almost every state-- Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Kerala, Odisha, et al--have also come here to showcase their talent. Bengali play Rajar Mrityu, directed by Sudipto Chatterjee, is taking stage for the first time. Translated from the Iranian play Marg-e-Yazdgerd (Death of Yazdgerd), Chatterjee has staged it in English (London) and Europe. Says the director, "Iranian playwright Bahram Beyzale penned the play in 1979, during the Iranian revolution, when the Shah was overthrown. Though the play doesn't speak of it directly, the play signals the death of the last Zoroastrian king. Since the play was considered a threat, it never took to stage in Iran and the ban on it has not been lifted since. I stumbled on this 12 to 14 years ago and decided to translate it."

Probably the first play to be translated from Farsi to an Indian language, Rajar Mrityu is very much relevant to India, symbolically. It speaks of the rise of fundamentalism, class struggle and the government's interference in individual lives. Akhiyaan from Pakistan is a production that looks promising. Director Sarfaraz Ansari, though still waiting for the visa hassle to be cleared, is very excited to perform in the Capital. "It is adapted from a radio play that was first broadcast in AIR in the 1930s. The protagonist is a blind girl who is cheated and ill treated by her close relatives. I was impressed by the message that the play tried to convey--the section of the society that can see everything clearly is the one that is actually blind, not the visually impaired," says Ansari who also plays an important role in the play. The Wild from the US, Rags of Memory from Italy, Sonka from Poland, Somewhere in Quixote from Madrid and Pigeon Show, again from the US, are a few other plays that have crossed seas for the festival. Last year's hit Mathi, from Kerala, will also be staged along with another production from the state, Kuzhi Vettunnavarod. Theatre is all set for new benchmarks.

Bharat Rang Mahotsav will be on till February 21 at Abhimanch and Open Air Theatre at the NSD Campus along with LTG Auditorium, Kamani Auditorium and Shri Ram Centre. Tickets will be available at NSD box office and at the website http://eticket.nsd.gov.in/

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